Professor Ashford’s proclamation describes Professor Bearing’s own struggle with her humanity and her mortality. She has worked so hard to conceal her vulnerabilities that passing into a state where she does admit her weakness and humanity seems like an insuperable barrier comparable to the semicolon Professor Ashford discusses. Thus, when Professor Bearing begins her treatment, she views death and weakness as adversaries that she must fight against. Even though she has had to leave her job as a professor, is in severe pain, and alone, she maintains a strong front by demonstrating her intelligence through wit. It is not until the end of the play, after she has been almost entirely broken that she finds a moment of clarity and realizes that “insuperable barrier,” the one she has been struggling with her entire life and throughout treatment is a simple comma, a simple acknowledgement of one’s humanity through raw vulnerability.